Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report released in June 2025.
The report highlights that Asia’s average temperature in 2024 was approximately 1.04°C above the 1991–2020 average, making it either the warmest or the second warmest year on record for the continent, depending on the dataset used.
Key findings from the report include:
- Asia’s warming trend between 1991 and 2024 is almost double that of the 1961–1990 period.
- Sea surface temperatures in Asia reached record highs in 2024, with marine heatwaves being the worst on record.
- The decadal warming rate of Asia’s sea surface temperature is nearly double the global average.
- Sea level rise on the Pacific and Indian Ocean sides of Asia exceeded the global average, increasing risks for low-lying coastal areas.
- Glaciers in the central Himalayas and Tian Shan experienced significant mass loss, with 23 out of 24 glaciers affected, leading to increased hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods and landslides, and posing long-term water security risks.
- Boreal spring snow cover extent in Asia has been decreasing by about 215,000 km² per decade over the past 28 years.
- Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones have caused severe human and economic impacts across the region.
Globally, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with the global mean near-surface temperature about 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels, partly driven by a strong El Niño event. The past decade (2015–2024) includes the ten warmest years on record worldwide.
In summary, Asia’s climate is warming at nearly twice the global average rate, intensifying extreme weather and environmental hazards, with 2024 marking a historic peak in temperatures and climate impacts for the region.